Articles de revista
http://hdl.handle.net/2117/3234
2024-03-29T07:21:05Z
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Critical review on the sustainability of electric vehicles: addressing challenges without interfering in market trends
http://hdl.handle.net/2117/405359
Critical review on the sustainability of electric vehicles: addressing challenges without interfering in market trends
Obrador Rey, Sergio; Canals Casals, Lluc; Gevorkov, Levon; Cremades Oliver, Lázaro Vicente; Trilla Romero, Lluís
The primary focus in electrifying the transportation sector should be sustainability. This can be effectively attained through the application of the seven eco-efficiency principles, which constitute the global standard for assessing the sustainability of products. Consequently, this framework should guide the development of current electric vehicle designs. The first section of the present article assesses the alignment of the automotive industry with these sustainability requirements. Results show that even though the electric vehicle promotes the use of cleaner energy resources, it falls short of adhering to the remaining principles. The implementation of advanced models in battery management systems holds great potential to enhance lithium-ion battery systems’ overall performance, increasing the durability of the batteries and their intensity of use. While many studies focus on improving current electric equivalent models, this research delves into the potential applicability of Reduced-Order Model techniques for physics-based models within a battery management systems context to determine the different health, charge, or other estimations. This study sets the baseline for further investigations aimed at enhancing the reduced-order physics-based modeling field. A research line should be aimed at developing advanced and improved cell-state indicators, with enhanced physical insight, for various lithium-ion battery applications.
2024-03-26T11:28:18Z
Obrador Rey, Sergio
Canals Casals, Lluc
Gevorkov, Levon
Cremades Oliver, Lázaro Vicente
Trilla Romero, Lluís
The primary focus in electrifying the transportation sector should be sustainability. This can be effectively attained through the application of the seven eco-efficiency principles, which constitute the global standard for assessing the sustainability of products. Consequently, this framework should guide the development of current electric vehicle designs. The first section of the present article assesses the alignment of the automotive industry with these sustainability requirements. Results show that even though the electric vehicle promotes the use of cleaner energy resources, it falls short of adhering to the remaining principles. The implementation of advanced models in battery management systems holds great potential to enhance lithium-ion battery systems’ overall performance, increasing the durability of the batteries and their intensity of use. While many studies focus on improving current electric equivalent models, this research delves into the potential applicability of Reduced-Order Model techniques for physics-based models within a battery management systems context to determine the different health, charge, or other estimations. This study sets the baseline for further investigations aimed at enhancing the reduced-order physics-based modeling field. A research line should be aimed at developing advanced and improved cell-state indicators, with enhanced physical insight, for various lithium-ion battery applications.
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Quantifying the impact of battery degradation in electric vehicle driving through key performance indicators
http://hdl.handle.net/2117/404914
Quantifying the impact of battery degradation in electric vehicle driving through key performance indicators
Etxandi Santolaya, Maite; Mora Pous, Alba Lun; Canals Casals, Lluc; Corchero García, Cristina; Eichman, Josh
As the Electric Vehicle market grows, understanding the implications of battery degradation on the driving experience is key to fostering trust among users and improving End of Life estimations. This study analyses various road types, charging behaviours and Electric Vehicle models to evaluate the impact of degradation on the performance. Key indicators related to the speed, acceleration, driving times and regenerative capabilities are obtained for different degradation levels to quantify the performance decay. Results show that the impact is highly dependent on the road type and nominal battery capacity. Vehicles with long and medium ranges show a robust performance for common driving conditions. Short-range vehicles perform adequately in urban and rural road conditions, but on highways, speed and acceleration reductions of up to 6.7 km/h and 3.96 (km/h)/s have been observed. The results of this study suggest that degradation should not be a concern for standard driving conditions and mid- and long-range vehicles currently dominate the market. In addition, the results are used to define a functional End of Life criterion based on performance loss, beyond the oversimplified 70–80% State-of-Health threshold, which does not consider individual requirements.
2024-03-19T10:49:15Z
Etxandi Santolaya, Maite
Mora Pous, Alba Lun
Canals Casals, Lluc
Corchero García, Cristina
Eichman, Josh
As the Electric Vehicle market grows, understanding the implications of battery degradation on the driving experience is key to fostering trust among users and improving End of Life estimations. This study analyses various road types, charging behaviours and Electric Vehicle models to evaluate the impact of degradation on the performance. Key indicators related to the speed, acceleration, driving times and regenerative capabilities are obtained for different degradation levels to quantify the performance decay. Results show that the impact is highly dependent on the road type and nominal battery capacity. Vehicles with long and medium ranges show a robust performance for common driving conditions. Short-range vehicles perform adequately in urban and rural road conditions, but on highways, speed and acceleration reductions of up to 6.7 km/h and 3.96 (km/h)/s have been observed. The results of this study suggest that degradation should not be a concern for standard driving conditions and mid- and long-range vehicles currently dominate the market. In addition, the results are used to define a functional End of Life criterion based on performance loss, beyond the oversimplified 70–80% State-of-Health threshold, which does not consider individual requirements.
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Extending the electric vehicle battery first life: performance beyond the current end of life threshold
http://hdl.handle.net/2117/404825
Extending the electric vehicle battery first life: performance beyond the current end of life threshold
Etxandi Santolaya, Maite; Canals Casals, Lluc; Corchero García, Cristina
Presently, Electric Vehicle batteries are considered to have reached the End of Life once their State of Health falls to 70-80%. However, this criteria is universal to all battery capacities and not based on the specific application requirements. To evaluate whether the End of Life can be extended below the current threshold, the impact of the Internal Resistance increase needs to be addressed. In this sense, this study employs a degradation aware electrothermal model to evaluate the battery performance for different use cases. The findings reveal that capacity constraints are the main cause of the End of Life, followed by power constraints. However, this is highly dependent on the battery capacity. Large capacity batteries tend to reach the End of Life for capacity constraints, whereas smaller ones show power limitations first. The temperature increase has not shown to be a restriction for any of the cases simulated. The decline in performance is for most cases (37.5% of the simulated ones) noticed below 70% State of Health, supporting that the first-life of most batteries can be extended without compromising the vehicle’s performance. This is especially the case for most average drivers using large battery capacities, currently emerging on the market. The methodology proposed for the simulated cases can be extended to real time operation in the Battery Management System. Estimating the End of Life in this way can support the maximization of the first-life and only requires an appropriate use of the available data.
2024-03-18T11:55:17Z
Etxandi Santolaya, Maite
Canals Casals, Lluc
Corchero García, Cristina
Presently, Electric Vehicle batteries are considered to have reached the End of Life once their State of Health falls to 70-80%. However, this criteria is universal to all battery capacities and not based on the specific application requirements. To evaluate whether the End of Life can be extended below the current threshold, the impact of the Internal Resistance increase needs to be addressed. In this sense, this study employs a degradation aware electrothermal model to evaluate the battery performance for different use cases. The findings reveal that capacity constraints are the main cause of the End of Life, followed by power constraints. However, this is highly dependent on the battery capacity. Large capacity batteries tend to reach the End of Life for capacity constraints, whereas smaller ones show power limitations first. The temperature increase has not shown to be a restriction for any of the cases simulated. The decline in performance is for most cases (37.5% of the simulated ones) noticed below 70% State of Health, supporting that the first-life of most batteries can be extended without compromising the vehicle’s performance. This is especially the case for most average drivers using large battery capacities, currently emerging on the market. The methodology proposed for the simulated cases can be extended to real time operation in the Battery Management System. Estimating the End of Life in this way can support the maximization of the first-life and only requires an appropriate use of the available data.
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The dilemma of variables assumptions in thermal comfort calculations for educational buildings: to simplify or not?
http://hdl.handle.net/2117/404378
The dilemma of variables assumptions in thermal comfort calculations for educational buildings: to simplify or not?
Ruiz de Alegría Sala, Alba; Marín López, Daniel; Canals Casals, Lluc; Fonollosa Magrinyà, Jordi; Macarulla Martí, Marcel
Thermal comfort is crucial for people well-being and productivity in buildings, and it has a strong effect on building’s energy usage. The main models for assessing thermal comfort, like predictive mean vote (PMV) and adaptive models, need many environmental measurements, making monitoring complex. That has sparked a debate: some advocate reducing the number of variables, while others stress sticking to the original models. This article evaluates current research trends and addresses the limitations of globe sensors, the most commonly used instrument for measuring mean radiant temperature. To address these is- sues, the study conducts a sensitivity analysis using latin hypercube sampling with multidimen- sional uniformity and employs data from 41 measurements conducted in educational buildings spanning different academic levels, from preschool to university. This analysis examines various simplifications in the measuring procedures for the PMV and adaptive models proposed by ASHRAE 55, ISO 7730 and EN 16798. For this purpose, two mean radiant temperature accuracies are used according to the minimum requirement and the desired value specified by ISO 7726, ±2 ¿C and ±0.2 ¿ C respectively. The results suggest that models with fewer variables tend to overestimate thermal comfort levels. However, this models are valid as their estimations fall within the uncertainty range of the complete model, as long as the mean radiant temperature accuracy is ±2 ¿C as achieved with globe sensors. When mean radiant temperature accuracy improves (i.e. ±0.2 ¿C), the outcome of the models with less variables imply an overestimation falling out of the uncertainty of the complete model.
2024-03-13T09:19:04Z
Ruiz de Alegría Sala, Alba
Marín López, Daniel
Canals Casals, Lluc
Fonollosa Magrinyà, Jordi
Macarulla Martí, Marcel
Thermal comfort is crucial for people well-being and productivity in buildings, and it has a strong effect on building’s energy usage. The main models for assessing thermal comfort, like predictive mean vote (PMV) and adaptive models, need many environmental measurements, making monitoring complex. That has sparked a debate: some advocate reducing the number of variables, while others stress sticking to the original models. This article evaluates current research trends and addresses the limitations of globe sensors, the most commonly used instrument for measuring mean radiant temperature. To address these is- sues, the study conducts a sensitivity analysis using latin hypercube sampling with multidimen- sional uniformity and employs data from 41 measurements conducted in educational buildings spanning different academic levels, from preschool to university. This analysis examines various simplifications in the measuring procedures for the PMV and adaptive models proposed by ASHRAE 55, ISO 7730 and EN 16798. For this purpose, two mean radiant temperature accuracies are used according to the minimum requirement and the desired value specified by ISO 7726, ±2 ¿C and ±0.2 ¿ C respectively. The results suggest that models with fewer variables tend to overestimate thermal comfort levels. However, this models are valid as their estimations fall within the uncertainty range of the complete model, as long as the mean radiant temperature accuracy is ±2 ¿C as achieved with globe sensors. When mean radiant temperature accuracy improves (i.e. ±0.2 ¿C), the outcome of the models with less variables imply an overestimation falling out of the uncertainty of the complete model.
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Estudio de valorización de residuos vegetales como decolorantes de aguas residuales de la industria textil
http://hdl.handle.net/2117/402308
Estudio de valorización de residuos vegetales como decolorantes de aguas residuales de la industria textil
Cuesta Mota, Dídac; López Grimau, Víctor; Vilaseca, Mercè; Raspall Noguera, Montserrat
La industria textil requiere un gran volumen de agua durante el proceso y los efluentes producidos contienen diversos contaminantes de difícil eliminación. Entre los contaminantes más visibles se encuentran los colorantes sintéticos, caracterizados por no ser biodegradables. Dos tratamientos de este contaminante, bastante extendidos en la industria, son la adsorción y la coagulación-floculación, los cuales son compatibles con el uso de sustancias de origen natural, como es el caso de las semillas de Moringa Oleifera y el residuo sólido resultante de la extracción de su aceite. Se estudian tres especies autóctonas de Cataluña: bellotas de Quercus Suber L. y Quercus Robur, y castañas de Castanea Sativa; intentando replicar los resultados de coagulación-floculación de las semillas de Moringa Oleifera. La materia sólida de estas es la parte usada como adsorbente o coagulante, y se puede obtener como residuo de la extracción de aceite en la industria cosmética Los efluentes simulados para el estudio contienen 0,1 g/l de colorante reactivo y 60 g/l de NaCl, fijando pH9. Se usan 6 colorantes reactivos diferentes: Procion Yellow H-EXL, Procion Orange MX-2R, Procion Crimson H-EXL, Remazol Black B-133, Procion Navy H-EXL y Procion Blue H-EXL. Mientras se obtienen unos resultados poco satisfactorios con el tratamiento de coagulaciónfloculación, con la adsorción se supera el 50% de eliminación de colorante en la mayoría de combinaciones adsorbente-colorante. Los mejores resultados son para la adsorción con Castanea Sativa (mayormente 80-90% de decoloración), seguido de los resultados de Moringa Oleifera (70-85% de decoloración).
2024-02-20T14:17:29Z
Cuesta Mota, Dídac
López Grimau, Víctor
Vilaseca, Mercè
Raspall Noguera, Montserrat
La industria textil requiere un gran volumen de agua durante el proceso y los efluentes producidos contienen diversos contaminantes de difícil eliminación. Entre los contaminantes más visibles se encuentran los colorantes sintéticos, caracterizados por no ser biodegradables. Dos tratamientos de este contaminante, bastante extendidos en la industria, son la adsorción y la coagulación-floculación, los cuales son compatibles con el uso de sustancias de origen natural, como es el caso de las semillas de Moringa Oleifera y el residuo sólido resultante de la extracción de su aceite. Se estudian tres especies autóctonas de Cataluña: bellotas de Quercus Suber L. y Quercus Robur, y castañas de Castanea Sativa; intentando replicar los resultados de coagulación-floculación de las semillas de Moringa Oleifera. La materia sólida de estas es la parte usada como adsorbente o coagulante, y se puede obtener como residuo de la extracción de aceite en la industria cosmética Los efluentes simulados para el estudio contienen 0,1 g/l de colorante reactivo y 60 g/l de NaCl, fijando pH9. Se usan 6 colorantes reactivos diferentes: Procion Yellow H-EXL, Procion Orange MX-2R, Procion Crimson H-EXL, Remazol Black B-133, Procion Navy H-EXL y Procion Blue H-EXL. Mientras se obtienen unos resultados poco satisfactorios con el tratamiento de coagulaciónfloculación, con la adsorción se supera el 50% de eliminación de colorante en la mayoría de combinaciones adsorbente-colorante. Los mejores resultados son para la adsorción con Castanea Sativa (mayormente 80-90% de decoloración), seguido de los resultados de Moringa Oleifera (70-85% de decoloración).
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Optimización de un sistema de poligeneración energética para el edificio TR5 de la Universidad Politécnica de Cataluña (UPC)-Sede Terrassa
http://hdl.handle.net/2117/395743
Optimización de un sistema de poligeneración energética para el edificio TR5 de la Universidad Politécnica de Cataluña (UPC)-Sede Terrassa
Pinto Maquillon, Edwin Samir; Amante García, Beatriz
El sector de edificios representa alrededor de un tercio de la energía relacionada con las emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero (GEI) de la UE, convirtiéndolo en un sector crucial para alcanzar los objetivos energéticos y medioambientales de la UE. Por ende, la UE ha establecido un marco legislativo para fomentar la integración de tecnologías verdes y mejorar el rendimiento energético en los edificios. En este sentido, considerando las necesidades de rehabilitación de los edificios públicos en España, y en particular en Catalunya, este trabajo propone la optimización de un sistema de poligeneración para el edificio TR5 de la UPC ubicado en Terrassa. Esta se lleva a cabo usando un modelo de Programación Lineal Entera Mixta para optimizar económicamente el sistema bajo distintos escenarios. Los resultados muestran la viabilidad del uso de fotovoltaica en todos los escenarios, mientras que otras tecnologías como los colectores solares térmicos, almacenamientos energéticos, entre otros, no lo son. Por otro lado, la configuración óptima cambia según los precios de la energía, pero también el impacto ambiental. En particular, los precios más altos del gas natural conducen a reducir las emisiones de GEI, mientras que precios más altos de electricidad no conllevan a ello necesariamente.
2023-11-03T09:36:18Z
Pinto Maquillon, Edwin Samir
Amante García, Beatriz
El sector de edificios representa alrededor de un tercio de la energía relacionada con las emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero (GEI) de la UE, convirtiéndolo en un sector crucial para alcanzar los objetivos energéticos y medioambientales de la UE. Por ende, la UE ha establecido un marco legislativo para fomentar la integración de tecnologías verdes y mejorar el rendimiento energético en los edificios. En este sentido, considerando las necesidades de rehabilitación de los edificios públicos en España, y en particular en Catalunya, este trabajo propone la optimización de un sistema de poligeneración para el edificio TR5 de la UPC ubicado en Terrassa. Esta se lleva a cabo usando un modelo de Programación Lineal Entera Mixta para optimizar económicamente el sistema bajo distintos escenarios. Los resultados muestran la viabilidad del uso de fotovoltaica en todos los escenarios, mientras que otras tecnologías como los colectores solares térmicos, almacenamientos energéticos, entre otros, no lo son. Por otro lado, la configuración óptima cambia según los precios de la energía, pero también el impacto ambiental. En particular, los precios más altos del gas natural conducen a reducir las emisiones de GEI, mientras que precios más altos de electricidad no conllevan a ello necesariamente.
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Demand response approaches in a research project versus a real business
http://hdl.handle.net/2117/391979
Demand response approaches in a research project versus a real business
Barbero, Mattia; Canals Casals, Lluc; Colet Subirachs, Alba; Salom, Jaume; Corchero García, Cristina
Demand response through Demand Aggregation is part of the energy transition towards a green and distributed system. Although the market is open in most European countries, its practical implementation is not much successful yet. In the last decade, research presented different options to deal with demand response and aggregation. This paper compares the benefits and limitations of strategies implemented from a research perspective and the strategy followed by a recently created company to see which of the advances in research are currently useful from a business perspective. The study presents a novel decision matrix to evaluate demand response strategies. Results show that there are technical limitations in current Energy Management Systems that need to be taken into account when developing demand aggregation platforms. In addition, the study highlights the importance to propose a simple and scalable solution to allow consumers to participate actively in electricity markets and create a success business model.
© 2023 Elsevier. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
2023-07-24T08:08:50Z
Barbero, Mattia
Canals Casals, Lluc
Colet Subirachs, Alba
Salom, Jaume
Corchero García, Cristina
Demand response through Demand Aggregation is part of the energy transition towards a green and distributed system. Although the market is open in most European countries, its practical implementation is not much successful yet. In the last decade, research presented different options to deal with demand response and aggregation. This paper compares the benefits and limitations of strategies implemented from a research perspective and the strategy followed by a recently created company to see which of the advances in research are currently useful from a business perspective. The study presents a novel decision matrix to evaluate demand response strategies. Results show that there are technical limitations in current Energy Management Systems that need to be taken into account when developing demand aggregation platforms. In addition, the study highlights the importance to propose a simple and scalable solution to allow consumers to participate actively in electricity markets and create a success business model.
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Sustainable filtering systems to reduce microfiber emissions from textiles during household laundering
http://hdl.handle.net/2117/391103
Sustainable filtering systems to reduce microfiber emissions from textiles during household laundering
Belzagui Elder, Francisco; Gutiérrez Bouzán, María Carmen; Carrillo Navarrete, Fernando; López Grimau, Víctor
During laundering, synthetic textiles (polyester, polyamide, etc.) can release small fiber debris with a length of <5 mm. These are a type of microplastics (MPs), usually referred to as microfibers (MFs), which are considered high-concern pollutants due to their continuous and cumulative entrance into the environment. Currently, as far as we know, there are no feasible alternatives to remove them. In this work, four new and sustainable filtering systems are proposed to retain the MFs emitted from domestic washing machines. The filters contain a replaceable cartridge partially filled with recycled low-density polyethylene pellets. The four designed filtering systems of different sizes were tested in a household washing machine determining the retention efficiency of the MFs after several washing cycles. It was found that all four assessed filter arrangements have a good performance for retaining MFs from the washers’ effluents. Filter F1 (diameter of 4 cm and a height of 30 cm) started retaining more than 50% of the MFs, at the 10th washing cycle, the retention climbed to 66%, while in the 20th washing cycle, its retention was greater than 80%. MF retention was higher for filter F2 (diameter of 6.3 cm and a height of 41 cm), achieving a performance greater than 90% in the 20th washing cycle. Filter F3 was arranged by turning the F1 model flow upside down and the retention efficiency is higher compared with filter F1 values, reaching a retention efficiency of almost 100% in the 15th washing cycle. Finally, filter F4 arrangement was developed using the existing washing machine filter, obtaining better performance than the F1 and F2 filters, reaching efficiencies higher than 90% at the 20th washing cycle. In summary, depending on the arrangement, the microfiber retention efficiency was estimated between 52% and 86% in the 1st washing cycle and up to 83% to 99% in the 20th. Additionally, all arrangements demonstrated that the cartridges may last for more than 30 washing cycles before needing to be replaced
2023-07-17T11:09:21Z
Belzagui Elder, Francisco
Gutiérrez Bouzán, María Carmen
Carrillo Navarrete, Fernando
López Grimau, Víctor
During laundering, synthetic textiles (polyester, polyamide, etc.) can release small fiber debris with a length of <5 mm. These are a type of microplastics (MPs), usually referred to as microfibers (MFs), which are considered high-concern pollutants due to their continuous and cumulative entrance into the environment. Currently, as far as we know, there are no feasible alternatives to remove them. In this work, four new and sustainable filtering systems are proposed to retain the MFs emitted from domestic washing machines. The filters contain a replaceable cartridge partially filled with recycled low-density polyethylene pellets. The four designed filtering systems of different sizes were tested in a household washing machine determining the retention efficiency of the MFs after several washing cycles. It was found that all four assessed filter arrangements have a good performance for retaining MFs from the washers’ effluents. Filter F1 (diameter of 4 cm and a height of 30 cm) started retaining more than 50% of the MFs, at the 10th washing cycle, the retention climbed to 66%, while in the 20th washing cycle, its retention was greater than 80%. MF retention was higher for filter F2 (diameter of 6.3 cm and a height of 41 cm), achieving a performance greater than 90% in the 20th washing cycle. Filter F3 was arranged by turning the F1 model flow upside down and the retention efficiency is higher compared with filter F1 values, reaching a retention efficiency of almost 100% in the 15th washing cycle. Finally, filter F4 arrangement was developed using the existing washing machine filter, obtaining better performance than the F1 and F2 filters, reaching efficiencies higher than 90% at the 20th washing cycle. In summary, depending on the arrangement, the microfiber retention efficiency was estimated between 52% and 86% in the 1st washing cycle and up to 83% to 99% in the 20th. Additionally, all arrangements demonstrated that the cartridges may last for more than 30 washing cycles before needing to be replaced
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Comparative life cycle assessment of Li-Sulphur and Li-ion batteries for electric vehicles
http://hdl.handle.net/2117/387143
Comparative life cycle assessment of Li-Sulphur and Li-ion batteries for electric vehicles
Benveniste Pérez, Gabriela; Sánchez Ballesta, Anna; Rallo Tolós, Héctor; Corchero García, Cristina; Amante García, Beatriz
Nowadays, most of the electric vehicles (EVs) are powered by Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries due to their high energy density, higher power density and degree of development relative to other battery technologies. As Li-ion technology evolves and the EVs fleet increases, it is important to understand the environmental impacts of mass- producing the battery packs for EVs. However, with 80-150 Wh/kg energy density, current Li-ion batteries are not able to power the EVs for a comparable driving range with conventional vehicles. Lithium-sulphur (Li-S) batteries have emerged as promising battery technology, with a higher theoretical capacity and energy density than Li-ion batteries used today. Moreover, Li-S batteries presumably present a lower environmental profile due to their chemical composition compared to Li-ion ones. To verify this statement, this study performs a life cycle assessment (LCA) of Li-S battery cells (under industrial development at the moment) that have been scaled up accordingly to estimate their performance as a battery for EVs. This comparison will provide the impact of each battery and the potential benefits in terms of environmental impact indicator values of the Li-S technology. The impacts of the Li-S battery are compared with those of a Nickel-Cobalt-Manganese (NCM) battery under the same driving distance. The environmental impact assessment results show that Li-S batteries present a most favourable environmental profile compared to NCM batteries, especially in the natural resource depletion categories where the Li-S battery has 70%-90% lower values compared to the Li-ion one.
2023-05-05T11:19:40Z
Benveniste Pérez, Gabriela
Sánchez Ballesta, Anna
Rallo Tolós, Héctor
Corchero García, Cristina
Amante García, Beatriz
Nowadays, most of the electric vehicles (EVs) are powered by Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries due to their high energy density, higher power density and degree of development relative to other battery technologies. As Li-ion technology evolves and the EVs fleet increases, it is important to understand the environmental impacts of mass- producing the battery packs for EVs. However, with 80-150 Wh/kg energy density, current Li-ion batteries are not able to power the EVs for a comparable driving range with conventional vehicles. Lithium-sulphur (Li-S) batteries have emerged as promising battery technology, with a higher theoretical capacity and energy density than Li-ion batteries used today. Moreover, Li-S batteries presumably present a lower environmental profile due to their chemical composition compared to Li-ion ones. To verify this statement, this study performs a life cycle assessment (LCA) of Li-S battery cells (under industrial development at the moment) that have been scaled up accordingly to estimate their performance as a battery for EVs. This comparison will provide the impact of each battery and the potential benefits in terms of environmental impact indicator values of the Li-S technology. The impacts of the Li-S battery are compared with those of a Nickel-Cobalt-Manganese (NCM) battery under the same driving distance. The environmental impact assessment results show that Li-S batteries present a most favourable environmental profile compared to NCM batteries, especially in the natural resource depletion categories where the Li-S battery has 70%-90% lower values compared to the Li-ion one.
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Are electric vehicle batteries being underused? A review of current practices and sources of circularity
http://hdl.handle.net/2117/385825
Are electric vehicle batteries being underused? A review of current practices and sources of circularity
Etxandi Santolaya, Maite; Canals Casals, Lluc; Montes Torre, Tomás; Corchero García, Cristina
The increasing demand for Lithium-ion batteries for Electric Vehicle calls for the adoption of sustainable practices and a switch towards a circular economy-based system to ensure that the electrification of transportation does not come at a high environmental cost. While driving patterns have not changed much over the years, the current Electric Vehicle market is evolving towards models with higher battery capacities. In addition, these batteries are considered to reach the End of Life at 70–80% State of Health, regardless of their capacity and application requirements. These issues may cause an underuse of the batteries and, therefore, hinder the sustainability of the Electric Vehicle. The goal of this study is to review and compare the circular processes available around Electric Vehicle batteries. The review highlights the importance of prioritizing the first-life of the battery onboard, starting with reducing the nominal capacity of the models. In cases where the battery is in risk of reaching the End of Life with additional value, Vehicle to Grid is encouraged over the deployment of second-life applications, which are being strongly promoted through institutional fundings in Europe. As a result of the identified research gaps, the methodological framework for the estimation of a functional End of Life is proposed, which constitutes a valuable tool for sustainable decision-making and allows to identify a more accurate End of Life, rather than considering the fixed threshold assumed in the literature.
2023-03-31T10:51:30Z
Etxandi Santolaya, Maite
Canals Casals, Lluc
Montes Torre, Tomás
Corchero García, Cristina
The increasing demand for Lithium-ion batteries for Electric Vehicle calls for the adoption of sustainable practices and a switch towards a circular economy-based system to ensure that the electrification of transportation does not come at a high environmental cost. While driving patterns have not changed much over the years, the current Electric Vehicle market is evolving towards models with higher battery capacities. In addition, these batteries are considered to reach the End of Life at 70–80% State of Health, regardless of their capacity and application requirements. These issues may cause an underuse of the batteries and, therefore, hinder the sustainability of the Electric Vehicle. The goal of this study is to review and compare the circular processes available around Electric Vehicle batteries. The review highlights the importance of prioritizing the first-life of the battery onboard, starting with reducing the nominal capacity of the models. In cases where the battery is in risk of reaching the End of Life with additional value, Vehicle to Grid is encouraged over the deployment of second-life applications, which are being strongly promoted through institutional fundings in Europe. As a result of the identified research gaps, the methodological framework for the estimation of a functional End of Life is proposed, which constitutes a valuable tool for sustainable decision-making and allows to identify a more accurate End of Life, rather than considering the fixed threshold assumed in the literature.